Corporate Donations Guide: Strategies, Donor Insights & Fundraising Tips

Every donation matters in nonprofit fundraising. Monetary contributions allow many organizations to keep their operations running. In 2025, corporate donations accounted for over $44 billion in nonprofit funding, a record high. 

When businesses donate to nonprofit organizations, it can be mutually beneficial. However, getting companies to contribute to your efforts isn’t always easy. The following strategies will help you improve your corporate contributions and maintain ongoing relationships with your donors.  

1. Choose the Right Companies 

When working on your nonprofit’s corporate giving strategy, finding businesses that align with your mission is crucial. Investing time in the right companies is essential, as nonprofits often rely on donations to fund their operations and keep them running.  

To facilitate a successful partnership between a corporation and a nonprofit organization, the two must make sense together. For example, a dog food company is more inclined to donate to an animal rescue nonprofit than a children’s charity.  

Finding the right match for your nonprofit will require some research. You should check out the following regarding your potential corporate donors: 

• The company’s background 

• Recent achievements 

• Plans for the future 

• Key mission 

• Donation history 

Researching potential partners will help your nonprofit determine whether a company is a good match. Partnerships work best when both the corporation and nonprofit share the same goals.  

2. Find Common Ground 

In addition to finding the right companies, nonprofits can achieve greater success by pinpointing potential corporate donors who share common ground with them. 

Seeking businesses similar in size to your nonprofit can be beneficial, as larger corporations may be more challenging to partner with. Small businesses, especially those in the same geographic region as your organization, can share a lot in common with your nonprofit.  

Working with businesses that are proportionate to your organization can be advantageous for both parties. Both can leverage the partnership to reach more individuals in the local community. When corporations team up with local nonprofits, they can benefit from giving back to their communities while gaining excellent brand publicity.   

Finding common ground allows your nonprofit to create more meaningful partnerships with corporations that could become long-term donors. Connecting with businesses that are geographically and size-wise close to yours can positively impact the corporate philanthropy strategy for both their companies and your nonprofit. 

3. Share Your Annual Report 

When working with a corporate donor, sharing your annual report can be beneficial. People love to see their successes right in front of them. These reports allow corporations to see precisely how much they have contributed to your mission.  

By sharing your annual report, your organization offers a transparent look into its operations. Your nonprofit can highlight its areas of success and initiatives that need additional funding to encourage future donations. 

You can also add pages to the annual report specifically to thank your donors. Having dedicated sections to offer gratitude is a great way to convey your organization’s appreciation and recognize the impact of corporate donations. 

Providing annual reports to donors should be part of every strategy to boost corporate donations to nonprofits. Both donors and nonprofits can benefit from reports shared openly.  

4. Focus on Employees 

Many corporations are finding that to attract and retain the best talent, they must integrate philanthropic efforts into their operations. Now more than ever, it is important for employees to feel that their workplace gives back to the community and has a charitable culture. 

Volunteering for and giving to nonprofits can boost employee morale. It can also influence a greater sense of purpose behind work. Nonprofits should look at what a company’s employees are interested in and engage them in fundraising efforts. 

Through corporate fundraising, employees can participate in meaningful team-building opportunities that foster greater unity within corporate workforces. Businesses can host charity events where employees can enjoy seeing their philanthropic efforts pay off in real time.  

Plus, when a business publicly aligns with a nonprofit and participates in fundraising activities, employees are more likely to feel engaged with their employer. 

5. Prepare Campaigns in Advance 

When proposing a donation campaign to a corporate partner, nonprofits should prepare in advance. This allows businesses to get in on the action without dedicating too much time or energy to your cause.  

Companies often want to participate in giving campaigns but lack the time and resources to do so. Having things prepared will encourage businesses to contribute to your nonprofit because there will be less work on their part.  

Making it easier for businesses to donate is in your organization’s best interest. Using fundraising software like GiveSmart can help donors seamlessly contribute to your nonprofit from anywhere. The less work your corporate donors need to do, the better. Creating campaign assets, such as social media posts or email templates, can encourage companies to participate in your fundraising efforts.  

6. Invest in a Lasting Relationship 

When working to increase corporate donations to nonprofits, it is preferable to cultivate lasting relationships rather than seek one-time donors.  

If you can align your nonprofit’s goals with a corporate donor’s objectives, you can build a partnership that benefits both parties. Partnerships like these allow a nonprofit and a company to utilize one another’s strengths. 

Donor retention is an important factor in long-term fundraising efforts. To convert first-time donors into lasting supporters, your organization must demonstrate the value of their contributions and how much you appreciate their partnership.  

Beyond sending thank-you cards and expressing gratitude for their donations, regularly engaging with your corporate donors is integral to building lasting relationships. Acknowledging donations is crucial to maintaining relationships. You want your donors to feel inspired to keep giving year after year.  

The Importance of Proper Alignment Between Your Nonprofit and Potential Corporate Sponsors 

Identifying corporate sponsors is one thing. Finding and pitching corporate sponsors with accurate value alignment is entirely another. Yet when done right, it’s these partners that bring the most stability and meaning to the work your nonprofit achieves — and allow you to do so for years to come. 

1. Prioritizes Mission and Values 

Your mission acts as a compass guiding your programming and priorities. 

The majority of nonprofits today communicate their core values through a mission statement that details who they are, who they serve, and why they do the work they do. 

Likewise, it’s becoming increasingly popular for businesses to write and use their own mission statements — often relaying the same principles. While nonprofits and private companies may pursue different ends, their mission statements may converge and overlap. Your nonprofit will have much greater success pitching corporate donors when you share a similar mission and value statements. Use those statements to your persuasive advantage. 

2. Generates Employee Buy-In 

Employees want to work for companies that care about the community. Over 70% of today’s workers say it’s “imperative” or “very important” to work for a company that prioritizes volunteering and corporate giving. 

Because you’ve identified an organization that matches your values, you’ve also likely stumbled upon a group of people with similar sentiments. This opens the door to a new base of dynamic, skilled, and often underused people willing to engage with your nonprofit as much as you wish to engage with them. 

Consider all the ways this employee connection and buy-in can contribute to your organization, such as through the following: 

• Volunteering opportunities: Your sponsor’s employee base is a perfect network to reach out to when you need volunteers. You can even host special volunteer events exclusively for this group. 

• Employee gift-matching: Set up an employee gift-matching program between you and your corporate sponsor. The company commits to matching any donations its employees make throughout the year, with proceeds going directly to your causes. 

• Awareness and advertising: Send employees event calendars, t-shirts, sweatshirts, branded desk items and other merchandise they can display at the office to increase your organization’s name recognition. 

3. Expands Networks 

Value alignment between you and business partners introduces another benefit — an expanded network. 

Most nonprofits, including your own, likely have a core demographic of supporters. That group consists of the people most likely to donate to and engage with your organization — for example, retirees, college students, moms, veterans, or something even more niche, such as groups like pet owners or police officers. 

What’s more, you likely already have data that identifies your core supporter network and demographics. By partnering with new corporate donors, you expand the demographics of your support network. 

4. Boosts Reputations 

Corporate social responsibility, conscious capitalism, mission-driven business — whatever you call it, organizations want it. Their brand reputation today can even depend on it, with more and more consumers expecting brands to prioritize ethics and leave a positive impact on society. In fact, nearly 80% of today’s consumers think businesses should do more than “make money,” most notably by participating in social philanthropy. 

When mission and values align, the reputations of both your nonprofit and your corporate sponsors improve. You provide an opportunity for an organization to broadcast its philanthropic priorities while widening your revenue streams. Likewise, your sponsor deepens their connection to the community and improves their brand reputation among target demographics. 

5. Inspires a Natural Relationship 

Value alignment between nonprofits and corporate donors increases the authenticity of their partnership. What’s more, it underscores how that partnership came to be in the first place — both parties recognized similarities in the other that made a camaraderie intuitive, not forced. 

Just as people are drawn to others with similar interests, nonprofits and their corporate partners will establish a quicker, more organic connection when bonded by like-minded principles. That connection translates into a deeper, mutually fulfilling, and ongoing relationship. 

6. Creates Sustainable Revenue Sources 

The better the alignment between your nonprofit and its corporate partners, the more likely those partnerships are to last. This, in turn, means your nonprofit pivots from ad hoc, exhausting donation pitches to more sustained program revenue models. 

While no nonprofit should rest on its funding laurels, corporate donors built on absolute value alignment are more likely to contribute to your financial stability than many other nonprofit fundraising techniques. 

The Best Corporate-Nonprofit Partnerships Display the Following Qualities: 

• Mission and value alignment: Corporations will gravitate toward nonprofits whose work cultivates change in ways that match their company’s values. That could mean nonprofits whose work complements a company’s products, brands, or services — e.g., a pet store chain that offers grants for animal rescues — or nonprofits targeting similar constituents — e.g., contracting agencies partnering with a veteran career placement nonprofit. 

• Suitable philanthropic image: Consumers are more likely to buy or engage with companies they consider socially responsible, and 70% of customers want to know that businesses are actively supporting social issues. The onus lies on corporations to develop a philanthropic identity that is both authentic and value-adding, on par with their mission statements and consumer bases. 

• Meaning: Corporations seek purpose from their philanthropic activities. They target productive, worthwhile partnerships with both tangible and intangible value. Things like impact reports, donor summaries, and annual partner presentations relay precisely where corporate donations or sponsorships move the needle. 

• Ongoing opportunities: Corporations — like nonprofits — prefer continuing opportunities, not one-and-done gift matching or check writing. Nonprofits that can demonstrate their commitment to ongoing corporate relationships and strategic planning are more likely to attract heavyweight corporate sponsors and raise more money. 

Corporate Donations by Industry 

Procuring corporate donors takes nonprofit fundraising to the next level. From sourcing in-kind gifts for silent auctions to creating ongoing event partnerships with philanthropic organizations, corporate donors tip the scales toward broader communal reach and impact — the dream of every nonprofit. 

1. Ecology, Environment, and Disaster Relief 

Ecological and sustainability initiatives have exploded in the past decade, aimed at preserving the environment. Ecological efforts include: 

• Disaster relief funding 

• Nature centers and preserves 

• Land and water conservation 

• Sustainability projects 

• Environmental education and advocacy 

• Habitat and wildlife education 

• Energy reform 

• National parks conservation 

• Agricultural policy 

Environmental nonprofits operate across a wide range of domains. Local and international environmental causes promote ecological research, awareness, sustainability, conservation, and appreciation. 

• Ideal sponsor alignment: Businesses and corporations with ties to natural land, air, or water resources, as well as those in the energy, transportation, and agricultural industries 

• Sponsorship types that work well: Grants and program funding, event sponsorship, and direct donations 

• Top sponsor recognition strategies: Company logos on event merchandise, as well as displayed online, through web, email, and social media campaigns 

Environmental nonprofits and government agencies have a long history of collaborative work, from water conservation to marine habitat and wildlife protection. Businesses that make regular donations to environmental philanthropy include: 

• Garmin: Garmin’s extensive grant-giving support is compatible with marine, ecological, and green transportation causes. 

• Pacific Gas & Electric: The utility organization works with environmental nonprofits to fund disaster and emergency relief as well as ecological stewardship programming. 

• Wells Fargo: The financial institution runs a unique environmental grant program available for application through its network of channel sponsors. 

2. Housing and Infrastructure 

The unfortunate byproduct of the luxury real estate boom has been mounting housing prices for middle and low-income consumers, neighborhood development disparities, and infrastructure inequities. Housing and infrastructure nonprofit initiatives seek to make changes to: 

• Affordable housing 

• Urban renewal 

• Accessible transportation 

• Accessible public facilities, like parks and playgrounds 

• Well-rounded, city-wide transportation options, such as walking, biking, and boating 

• Short and long-term overnight housing 

• Crisis centers 

• Family shelters 

• Urban renewal projects 

• Systemic issues of poverty 

As a branch of human-service charities, nonprofits involved with local community infrastructure commit to providing safe, accessible, and affordable long-term solutions to housing shortages and public spaces. These can include everything from crisis shelters to short-term housing assistance to home building and neighborhood revitalization projects. 

• Ideal sponsor alignment: Brands aiming to widen their local philanthropic footprint and make changes close to home. 

• Sponsorship types that work well: Pro bono services, direct donations, in-kind goods and services, grants, and sponsorships. 

• Top sponsor recognition strategies: Thank-you plaques fashioned from building or construction materials, messages and updates from families or neighborhoods that have benefited from sponsorship, and meet-and-greets with sponsored individuals or families. 

Companies regularly investing in neighborhood infrastructure and housing nonprofits include: 

• Wells Fargo: Wells Fargo partners with local NeighborWorks branches as well as other housing organizations to offer down-payment assistance and similar homebuyer resources. 

• Bank of America: Bank of America has partnered with Feeding America, among other national and local nonprofits working on hunger, shelter, and similar urgent population needs. It offers localized nonprofit grant funding and sponsorships. 

• American Airlines: American Airlines makes monetary donations and awards miles to community-building nonprofits. 

• Trader Joe’s: The grocery chain commits to yearly donations and hosting in-store events for social-justice causes. 

3. Education 

Education initiatives enhance the accessibility, mobility, and resources available for children and adults to receive a quality education. Similar to the Children and Youth nonprofit sector, fundraising efforts in this cause aim to create accessible and equitable educational opportunities for underserved populations. This segment, however, serves residents across many stages of life, from elementary math and reading programs to college scholarships to career placement and continued mentorship. Community organizations provide both broad and focused opportunities for continuing education: 

• Underfunded or struggling districts 

• GED preparation 

• Before and after-school tutoring 

• Special education programs 

• Career placement services 

• Higher education or career mentorship 

• Bilingual educational resources 

• College and trade school preparation 

• SAT and ACT practice 

• Youth mentorship programs 

• Grants and scholarships for continuing education 

Education nonprofits offer reduced school lunch and breakfast programs, ESL courses, after-school tutoring, and free SAT and college preparation. Nonprofits in the education segment work spans early childhood development to special education, sponsoring scholarships, college-preparation programs, and youth mentorship. Other nonprofits in this segment prioritize education system justice and reform, with a particular emphasis on accessibility and the effectiveness of schooling. 

• Ideal sponsor alignment: Corporations with youth-centered or education products and services, as well as those with STEM-vested interests 

• Sponsorship types that work well: In-kind donations, direct donations, program and event sponsorships, discounts, and gift cards 

• Top sponsor recognition strategies: Pictures and thank-you cards from kids, inclusion in nonprofit newsletters and press releases 

Corporations with a dedicated interest in education causes include: 

• Amgen: The biotech and pharmaceuticals company provides a wide range of support through nonprofit grants, research fellowships, education sponsorships, cash and in-kind equipment donations, and more. 

• Craigslist: The popular online platform lists education as one of its four core philanthropic areas of interest and  offers partners one-time and recurring grants. 

• Swinerton: The commercial construction company maintains a large foundation that supports event grants, direct donations, gift-matching programs, equipment drives, and more, with both open-call and invitation-only sponsorship cycles. 

• Office Depot: Office Depot’s Boca Raton headquarters awards community involvement grants to local youth-centered efforts, donates school supplies, and funds endowments for stay-in-school programs. 

3.1 Sub Category: Workplace Readiness 

Nonprofits dedicated to continuing education and workforce readiness do vital work throughout the Bayou City. By assisting populations without equal access or means to career-development resources, workplace readiness programs have downstream effects that ultimately boost the area’s economic profile and workforce. 

• Segment’s ideal impact: Corporations with vested economic ties to the area, as well as those with a desire to build greater community goodwill 

• Sponsorship types that work well: In-kind expertise and pro bono work, direct donations, physical donations, grants, program sponsorships, and college scholarships 

• Top recognition strategies: Case studies and economic impact whitepapers produced and distributed to sponsors, plus published online, individual success stories, handwritten thank-you notes, and personal accounts 

Companies that make regular contributions to workplace readiness organizations are: 

• Ryder Systems: Ryder offers nonprofit grants for vocational and technical training, workforce readiness, and programs that eliminate occupational inaccessibility and contribute to career barriers. 

• Bank of America: Bank of America branches are known to donate to workforce education and training. 

• Cisco Networking Academy: Cisco Systems’ Networking Academy partners with regional nonprofits to provide grants and scholarships to underserved communities. 

4. Human Rights, Health, and Safety 

Health and safety initiatives span the physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual aspects that dignify and enhance community residents’ quality of life. As such, nonprofits spearheading these issues are tasked with fundraising for an equally diverse range of causes and needs, many of which come intertwined: 

• Affordable and accessible healthcare services 

• Disability resources 

• Mental health resources 

• Food banks 

• Immigration and refugee issues 

• Specialty medical treatments and research 

• Domestic and international aid 

• Career training and placement 

• Financial literacy 

• Reproductive rights 

• Medical treatment grants and sponsorships 

• City wellness initiatives 

• Access to healthy and sustainable food systems 

• Combating food deserts 

• Donations to not-for-profit hospitals, clinics and treatment facilities 

• Youth and elderly engagement 

• Systemic neighborhood and city crime reduction 

Human-services charities provide direct care and quality-of-life services to constituents, encompassing an area’s wide range of food banks, homeless shelters, children’s and family services, crisis centers, and cross-needs health and safety services. 

• Ideal sponsor alignment: Businesses looking to make an impact close to home, directly in their neighborhoods, as well as grow a general philanthropic brand identity 

• Sponsorship types that work well: Direct donations, in-kind services, physical in-kind goods and products, pro bono services, sponsorships and grants 

• Top sponsor recognition strategies: Thank-you notes, artwork, and photographs of constituents assisted through sponsorships, company logos on event merchandise, as well as displayed online, through web, email and social media campaigns 

Food insecurity is a significant cause in this nonprofit sector. While food-service related businesses make the most intuitive corporate donors for this segment, other prominent corporate partners include: 

• Driscoll’s: Driscoll’s supports many intersectional food causes. 

• OpenTable: The food-service app sponsors numerous food justice, equity and anti-hunger programs. 

• Veggie Grill: The nationwide cafe chain is an intuitive donation partner for those performing food security work. 

Healthcare nonprofits work with specific medical concerns and populations, such as addiction or mental health for veterans, as well as broader city health outcomes, like obesity. Top businesses with healthcare as a stated philanthropic pillar include: 

• Bell: Bell states health and human causes as a core focus of its annual corporate giving. 

• Blue Diamond: The snack food brand donates to nutritional programs and projects that address health, wellness, and hunger in California. 

• Blue Shield: Blue Shield’s foundation is currently relaunching its strategic priorities to focus on healthy, sustainable communities. 

• McKesson: Though competitive, McKesson focuses on creating healthier communities, with a “special focus on cancer” causes. 

Human services is a broad industry term that categorizes the work of nonprofits delivering essential, primary-quality-of-life resources to constituents. Broadly speaking, this includes, but isn’t limited to, career placement and job preparation, financial literacy, food banks, emergency services, disaster relief, and temporary and long-term shelter for people experiencing homelessness. Corporations that donate to human service nonprofits include: 

• Bombas: The clothing brand donates cash and in-kind merchandise to human service nonprofits, though it has historically preferred in-kind gifts. 

• Del Monte: The company’s philanthropic commitment to “health, wellness and stronger farm to family connections” ties its giving closely to human service nonprofits that deliver these programs. 

• Riverbed Technologies: The company supports urban revitalization, housing and mentorship projects, among others. 

5. Arts, Culture, and Humanities 

Nonprofits in the humanities segment preserve and amplify a diverse cultural portrait. Through funding traditional cultural institutions to support artist residencies and creative youth programs, arts, culture, and humanities thrive in many cities, thanks in large part to city nonprofits. Arts and cultural work include: 

• Historical, cultural or themed not-for-profit museums 

• Fine arts 

• Professional and youth theater 

• Music 

• Food and dining 

• Performance venues 

• Public works of art 

• Other cultural amenities, attractions and quality-of-life attributes 

The arts, culture and the humanities segment receives about $19.5 billion in charitable giving annually. Programming often centers on increasing access to and opportunities in music, dance, creative writing, and the fine arts, as well as increasing representation and awareness in each of these areas. Arts and culture nonprofits additionally enrich their communities and generate a sizable economic footprint. 

• Ideal sponsor alignment: Corporations that believe thriving communities are those with robust arts-centered venues, events and entertainment 

• Sponsorship types that work well: Grants, sponsorships and direct donations 

• Top sponsor recognition strategies: Custom pieces of art, ribbon-cutting ceremonies at new arts venues, free tickets to shows and concerts 

Local nonprofits in this sector sit at the forefront of cultural, political, and artistic causes. These include sponsoring youth arts programs, artist residencies, music festivals, dance troupes, theatres and more. Businesses citing the arts as a key philanthropic pillar include the following: 

• Dolby Laboratories: The audio technology company seeks philanthropic projects that marry science and art and bring real innovation to their direct communities. 

• Garmin: The multinational tech and wearables company has a history of donating to local programs with an artistic, beautification and urban or rural renewal slant. 

• Wells Fargo: Wells Fargo maintains extensive corporate philanthropy in the arts and humanities scene, including most recently sponsoring a community mural project. 

6. Animal Welfare 

Animal welfare organizations work tirelessly to give a voice to those who can’t speak for themselves. Their work blends the ecological and the environmental, with fundraising necessary to support several sub-concerns requiring unique expertise and resources: 

• Municipal and private animal shelters 

• Pet adoption 

• Animal rescues and rehabilitation 

• Wildlife conservation 

• Habitat preservation 

• Animal rights advocacy and legislation 

• Animal education 

Animal welfare activism benefits communities in several ways. Shelters improve the safety and health of animals in their care and save millions of animals each year through various efforts and services. Many of this segment’s nonprofits investigate animal cruelty reports, support animal rights legislation, and promote overall wildlife conservation, environmentalism, and animal education programs. 

• Ideal sponsor alignment: Brands with a vested interest in promoting the safety and well-being of animals, as well as those whose products or services are related to pet and animal care. 

• Sponsorship types that work well: Program or event sponsorship, physical in-kind donations, in-kind service donations, pro bono consulting, animal rights, and animal welfare grants. 

• Top sponsor recognition strategies: Animal calendars, adoption reports, pictures of animals at the shelter wearing bandanas or apparel with a sponsor’s logo. 

Companies with a philanthropic animal welfare history include: 

• Petco Foundation: Petco’s philanthropic branch provides habitat disaster relief funding and grants for adoption and lifesaving animal support. 

• Rescue Chocolate Online: Rescue Chocolate’s entire business model is built around donating its profits to animal rescue groups. 

• Tito’s: The alcoholic beverage distiller operates a philanthropic branch dedicated exclusively to pet welfare. 

7. Children and Youth 

Nonprofit fundraising for the children and youth sector addresses issues uniquely related to this demographic, issues such as: 

• School breakfast and lunch programs 

• Youth wellness initiatives 

• Tutoring 

• ACT and SAT preparation 

• Youth sports 

• Free after-school activities 

• Toy drives 

• Family-friendly events and community functions 

Many take a granular approach to larger issues such as income inequality, underfunded schools, afterschool programs, tutoring, mentorship and more. 

• Ideal sponsorship alignment: Organizations with pre-existing youth mentorship or internship programs, and wishing to see the city as a safe, healthy and economically attractive region for youth. 

7.1. Subcategory: Youth Sports 

Youth sports provide an ideal way for companies to get more involved in their communities. Sporting jerseys, venues and merchandise are also prime locations to display brand logos and cultivate brand awareness without seeming “salesy.” Likewise, participating in sports provides personal development opportunities for the city’s youth that they wouldn’t otherwise experience. 

• Segment’s ideal impact: Businesses aiming to showcase deeper involvement in the community, as well as those with sports-related merchandise, active brands or youth health initiatives 

• Sponsorship types that work well: Direct donations, in-kind products like donated jerseys and equipment, sponsoring facility rentals, sporting events and tournaments 

• Top recognition strategies: Sports equipment signed by team members, signed thank-you notes, photographs of the team in sponsored apparel distributed to local newspapers, on schools’ or nonprofits’ websites and within promotional merchandise 

8. Military and Veterans 

Nonprofit veterans organizations serve those who’ve served our country, often tackling issues that statistically affect veterans at higher rates. There are numerous opportunities to sponsor and work with military and veterans nonprofits, including: 

• Rehabilitation and mental health 

• Networking and mentorship 

• Career training and placement 

• Veteran housing 

• Veteran healthcare 

• College preparation 

Community organizations serve this distinguished group of women and men through career-placement services, continuing education opportunities, housing assistance and much more. 

• Ideal sponsor alignment: Businesses founded by veterans, with veteran staffing quotas or significant veteran employee pools, as well as organizations whose products or services have military ties 

• Sponsorship types that work well: Pro-bono services, monetary donations, education grants, scholarship and veteran coupons or discounts 

Organizations that regularly support military and veterans’ causes include: 

• Wells Fargo: The company dedicates over a third of its philanthropic donations annually to veterans and military assistance programs. 

• Cisco Systems: Cisco Systems partners with organizations to place U.S. military veterans in civilian careers. 

• Starbucks Armed Forces Network: Starbucks provides veteran job placement and education services, and maintains a transitioning-to-civilian-life resource network. 

Types of Corporate Donations 

There are six main categories of corporate sponsorship, each offering opportunities to help your organization secure more donations. Included with the six are also rankings. A corporate sponsorship type will be rated high, medium, or low based on two criteria: 

• How easy the gift type is to attain. 

• The impact the gift will have on both nonprofits and corporate philanthropic image. 

Gift Cards 

Impact Grade: Low. 

Gift cards make fantastic add-on items for fundraising events. Think silent auctions, event gift baskets, celebrations, and similar, ad-hoc events nonprofits put on for both internal and external constituents. Nonprofits can award gift cards to recognize top-performing volunteers or use them during fundraising events to generate additional funds. 

• Pros: Gift cards are relatively easy to acquire from corporate sponsors. Small and large businesses alike will likely have product or service gift cards, coupons, or discounts readily available for area partners. Plus, they make a quick and intuitive write-off. 

• Cons: While straightforward to give, gift cards offer little in terms of higher-level mission or value alignment. They also do not compel other donors to join a nonprofit’s cause, since they rarely translate into long-term impact. 

In-Kind Donations 

Impact Grade: Medium. 

In-kind donations are non-cash gifts given by a business. There are four general categories of in-kind donations. 

• Physical goods: Clothing, furniture, office equipment, household supplies, laptops, phones, food items, or any other consumer product make up physical in-kind donations 

• Services: Free dental checkups, physicals, tax filing, catering services, and more constitute service-based in-kind donations. These most often come from companies in relevant service-based industries. 

• Expertise: Many nonprofits use pro bono work across legal, accounting, IT, business consulting, and general strategic-planning tasks. Such expertise-based donations are an excellent way to establish ties between businesses and nonprofits requiring specialized skills or technical services. 

• Cash equivalents: Monetary-based, but not cash, donations in the form of mutual funds, stocks, or bonds 

Direct Donations 

Impact Grade: Medium. 

Direct donations are cash contributions made to a nonprofit and remain a vital revenue stream for those making an impact. 

• Pros: Direct donations to 501(c)(3) classified organizations are tax write-offs for companies. They are flexible and highly versatile, allowing your nonprofit organization to allocate money where you need it most. 

• Cons: Asking for direct donations is a daunting task for many nonprofits. Like gift cards, direct donations can be hard to translate into long-term impact or as a meaningful way to draw in other donors. 

Discounts 

Impact Grade: Low. 

Corporations offer discounts to both nonprofits and their target demographics. For example, retailers may provide teachers with special discounts during the school year to purchase classroom supplies. A grocery chain could create a discounted food program for food banks. Or a restaurant could give 20% of a night’s proceeds to a local youth sports team, allowing them to buy new uniforms. 

• Pros: Discounts are among the easiest donation strategies to pitch to local businesses. In-store and online discounts are an excellent way for local businesses to bolster their philanthropic image and boost their brand. 

• Cons: Discounts are situational by nature. They provide little room for long-term growth or scalable, donor-swaying impact. 

Grants 

Impact Grade: High. 

Many corporations set up foundations or fellowships in their names, which in turn sponsor nonprofit grants.  

• Pros: Grants are a donation strategy for starting a new line of programming or for a nonprofit to jump-start a new initiative. Many corporate grant opportunities are also localized, meaning they seek applicants only from a particular area. 

• Cons: Grants are “soft” money, meaning they are not sustainable options to fund operating costs, overhead or general nonprofit upkeep. By their nature, grants are competitive and challenging to maintain. Many nonprofits compete for a single grant award under strict parameters. It can take anywhere from 6 to 16 months to prepare a personalized grant proposal, without assurance that the work will yield results. 

Sponsorships 

Impact Grade: High. 

Similar to grants, private corporations establish sponsorship programs that nonprofits apply for. If procured, sponsorships are an invaluable means of securing larger funding streams, typically over extended periods or in prorated installments. 

• Pros: Sponsorships offer the most potential to establish serious, ongoing collaborations with a corporate partner. They nurture nonprofit-business relationships rather than making fundraising transactional or contingent. 

• Cons: Like grants, sponsorships are highly competitive. They are challenging to obtain and require additional work to prove impact and value alignment to the parent corporation, assuring them that they sponsored the right nonprofit. 

How Technology Can Improve Nonprofit Fundraising 

Today’s technologies have introduced a new wave of fundraising and donor relations affordances for nonprofits. In the past, administrative costs and paperwork processing were barriers to implementing corporate giving programs. GiveSmart’s platform provides organizations of all sizes a cost-effective way to give back to their surrounding communities without making it complicated. If you’re trying to quickly raise funds for disaster relief or support an annual event at a local nonprofit, mobile donations can strengthen your workplace giving programs. 

Nonprofit software, in particular, provides several time- and money-saving advantages for your organization. Designed to integrate many of the front-house and behind-the-scenes operations that go into hosting a nonprofit fundraiser, consider what nonprofit fundraising software can do for your revenue targets — and peace of mind. 

Expand Fundraising Opportunities 

With technology created specifically to host nonprofit fundraisers, your organization has more ways to crowdsource donations than ever: 

• Text-to-give campaigns 

• Online auctions 

• Real-time mobile bidding 

• Campaigns are “shareable” on social media 

Simplify Donor Communications 

Nonprofit fundraising software also allows you to “reach beyond the room” from the convenience of any device, whether in the office or on the go. Write, edit and send the full spectrum of donor communications so vital to thriving donor relations: 

• Customizable text and email communications 

• Live mobile alerts during online auction bidding 

• Personalized calls-to-action during fundraising and donation moments 

• Branded thank you letters 

• Complete communications repository, for easy tracking and review 

Unlock Fundraising Analytics 

Fundraising analytics allow you to see what donation strategies worked and which didn’t. Your nonprofit can then make informed decisions during its next fundraising cycle, working smarter — not harder — to surpass targeted goals. 

• Computer and mobile-friendly macro dashboards relaying key fundraising metrics 

• Customizable dashboard KPIs 

• User-friendly fundraising reports 

• Data input personalized for each fundraising campaign, program or even donor profile 

Build Your Corporate Relationships with GiveSmart 

If your nonprofit is wondering how to secure corporate donations or improve fundraising efforts, several methods can benefit your organization’s bottom line and strengthen relationships.  

In addition to strategies, consider using GiveSmart, a fundraising software platform that helps nonprofits reach their goals and engage with their donors. With the industry-leading solution for raising money, our team believes in long-term partnerships and data-driven insights. Our technology is customized to your needs and updated frequently, so your organization can always enjoy the best-in-class fundraising solution.  

Our fundraising platform amplifies the strategies you already use — only quicker, easier, and with better oversight. Interested in learning more about how GiveSmart can help you build lasting corporate relationships? Schedule a free demo today! 

FAQs